October 2013 Students of the Month Honored at Buffalo Grove

Posted by District 214, Community Contributor

An outstanding student has been selected from each academic division at Buffalo Grove High School to be honored as the October 2013 Student of the Month. Sophomore Kevin Orton of Arlington Heights was nominated as the Career Technology Education Department’s honoree by his teacher, Sara Cleveland. "Kevin has excelled in the world of graphic design," said Cleveland. "He is currently taking Graphic Arts 2 and has done an amazing job on every project, both in class and outside of school. Kevin's design for the 2013 Homecoming dance ticket was chosen to be printed for this year's event. He executes his ideas with great precision and pays attention to every detail. Kevin has also used his design skills to create videos, posters and t-shirt designs for different organizations outside of school." The World Languages/Social Sciences/English Language Learners division has chosen freshman Sweta Patel of Wheeling. Spanish teacher Colleen Murtagh said, "Sweta is an exceptional foreign language student because she is willing to take risks. The greatest challenge for second language learners is the stress that comes with attempting to speak in a foreign tongue. The threat of embarrassment is great for most high school students, but this is not the case for Sweta, who exudes confidence. She speaks in Spanish without even the slightest reservation. Perhaps her self-assurance is a result of being the most conscientious student in class. Each day, she comes ready to ask questions and evaluate her efforts. Sweta is sure to be successful, not just in Spanish, but in all of her academic coursework." Senior Emily Hernandez of Buffalo Grove is Student of the Month for English/Fine Arts. Journalism adviser and English teacher Stefanie Pehr nominated her for the honor with the comment, "Emily's actions in and out of the classroom are the true definition of integrity. She is an Editor-in-chief for The Charger student newspaper. Emily's leadership qualities are apparent in the way in which she is able to establish deadlines, edit stories and offer quality advice to newspaper staff members. She is also the co-president of both BG Cares and Interact, two clubs that most certainly benefit from her compassionate and understanding personality. As both a Lit Lab leader and Advisory leader, Emily also works diligently to help other students with both their academic and social high school experiences." The Physical Education/Health/Driver's Education department selected sophomore Natalie Lezama of Wheeling to be recognized this month. Physical Education teacher Tom Sullivan said, "Natalie is a hard working, highly motivated student who places great emphasis on her health and fitness for a variety of reasons. She consistently demonstrates an excellent attitude and strong desire for learning. Furthermore, Natalie recognizes her fitness deficiencies, and she strives to learn how to affect a positive change to make improvements. She is a student who does not ask 'why,' but rather, 'how.' Her inner drive, along with her pleasant personality, makes her an extremely worthy recipient of this distinction." Freshman Lindsey Hammel of Arlington Heights is the Math/Science honoree. Division head and teacher Chris Marks said, "Lindsey handles Biology with personal passion and fervor and her approach to the course is contagious. She assists other students in small group settings and often offers her thoughts to the whole group. Lindsey truly makes the class a more thoughtful and lively environment from which all students benefit." Student Services has named junior Aron Bwayo of Arlington Heights as Student of the Month. Individual Resource teacher Teresa Deal commented, "Aron consistently works harder than any other student I have worked with. He is polite and kind to all students and staff he encounters. Aron's motivation and drive to learn are unmatched. He is very well liked by his teachers and his peers and is most deserving of this honor."